No matter where you are in Destin or on 30A, you’re a glance away from a great dining experience. Of course, when you’re at the beach, the best restaurants are the ones that allow you to feast your eyes while also feeding your appetite. Because the food is as good as the view they offer, these are the five best waterfront restaurants in Destin and the best waterfront restaurants on 30A (no, really!).
The Beach Walk Café
The Beach Walk Café, located off Scenic Highway 98 in Destin, is an upscale and intimate little restaurant considered perfect for anniversaries and romantic date nights. It’s a true vacation splurge and only allows guests ages thirteen and older. What makes it one of the best waterfront restaurants in Destin is the broad oceanfront views from the restaurant’s dining deck.
They even offer the ultimate experience—a Toes in the Sand package that allows you to eat right on the beach. A private white-clothed table, your own server, and your pick of the menu’s delights make this a unique and wonderfully romantic experience, or even just the ideal location for celebrating any special occasion.
All of the cuisine at the Beach Walk Café is seasonal and incorporates local fare, and menus are carefully crafted. There’s also an extensive dessert menu and wine list, which rounds out the experience quite nicely. Set against the unfettered backdrop of the emerald coast and the setting sun, the experience can’t be beat.
Boshamps Seafood & Oyster House
For a more casual dining experience, Boshamps Seafood & Oyster House located on Harbor Boulevard in Destin is a favorite for locals, travelers, families, friends…everyone. The view of the harbor spilling out into the Gulf along with the innovative and diverse fare make this one of best waterfront restaurants in Destin. Add that to the lively atmosphere—there’s live music some nights, angler tournaments, and other events happening year-round—and you’ve got the makings for a memorable waterfront dining experience.
For starters, the menu offers elevated southern comforts (like fried green tomatoes and jumbo lump crab, or homemade pimento cheese with bacon marmalade) alongside delights that feature coastal seafood (such as Gulf shrimp and jumbo lump crab with grits and yellowfin tuna dip). Like the skyline during sunset, the menu keeps getting better the further down you go.
Bud & Alleys
Off the beaten path of Scenic Highway 98 and on 30A, you can’t get better waterfront dining views than at Bud & Alleys in Seaside, one of the iconic communities on the famed beachfront highway. Gulf views and rooftop dining make this restaurant one of the ultimate best waterfront restaurants on 30A.
Add to that the cuisine. Bud & Alleys, named for the founder’s dog and the restaurant owner’s cat, serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They have a diverse menu of cuisine prepared with fresh Gulf ingredients and seasonal produce, which coincidentally isn’t even the best part. Bud & Alley’s famous wood fired Pizza Bar & Trattoria and the Bud & Alleys Taco Bar offer fresh and inspired versions of the two most delicious types of food to be had.
The Bay
The Bay on Santa Rosa Beach’s stunning Choctawhatchee Bay boasts a menu as refreshing and enjoyable as the bayfront deck views. Open seven days a week (including for brunch), The Bay is a favorite for its Southern Gulf Coast cuisine, fresh sushi, and inventive cocktail menu. Not only that, but on Wednesdays, The Bay has a bonfire on their private beach along with some of the area’s best live music.
These reasons only scratch the surface into why The Bay is among the best waterfront restaurants on 30A. Table and bar seating is available inside and outside of the restaurant, so whatever your preference and however you take your views (much the same with however you take your dinner, lunch, or brunch), The Bay is where to go for a different kind of waterfront dining experience at the beach.
Vue on 30A
Vue on 30A rounds out the list of the top five best waterfront restaurants in Destin and on 30A. One of the first notable waterfront restaurants on Highway 30A, Vue on 30A offers an upscale dining experience with exceptional coastal views. The restaurant has been named “Best Place to Watch a Sunset” by Emerald Coast Magazine and “Best Waterfront Dining” by Florida Travel + Life Magazine. It’s a given that Vue on 30A merits being called one of the best waterfront restaurants on 30A.
Vue on 30A serves brunch, lunch, and dinner. The options, which include favorites like crab cakes drizzled with champagne vinaigrette, pistachio crusted grouper, and pan seared scallops with a bright mango beurre blanc and blood orange balsamic drizzle, are elevated delights—classics with a seasonal twist. It’s impossible to not have a blissful experience indulging in the cuisine while soaking in the view at Vue on 30A.
We know that any beach vacation experience is made even better when you know where the people who are in the know go to eat. This list of the top five best waterfront restaurants in Destin and on 30A has something for everyone, much the same way My Vacation Haven has rental properties and management services available for every traveler and vacation property owner.